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South Berwick ME 03908 Sedation Dentistry

Sedation Dentistry in South Berwick, ME 03908

While most patients have a comfortable experience in our practice using only local anesthetic, for others even thinking about dental visits is stressful or traumatic.

With that in mind we’ve done everything we can to make your visit to our office as comfortable as possible. Beyond our many patient amenities, an additional offering we feature for very anxious patients (and sometimes just for long appointments) is oral sedation.

Oral sedation South Berwick, ME 03908 involves taking a short course of medication (which is started either the night before or an hour before the appointment) that allows you to relax and in a sense “zone out” for your visit. Some patients who are typically fearful end up even falling asleep while we work and we gently wake them when we are through.

If this sounds like an option you’d like, please mention it when you schedule your next appointment. We will work with you (and your primary care physician, if necessary) to ensure that you have the safest, most comfortable experience possible!

Ways to Relieve Anxiety

Oral Sedation South Berwick, ME 03908 — Oral sedation (given by mouth) is a popular option for many people precisely because it does not require the use of needles. Oral sedatives are either swallowed whole in pill form or can be dissolved under the tongue. Both methods work in a matter of minutes. A variety of oral sedative and anxiolytic (anxiety-dissolving) medications have been developed through extensive research and testing to make your experience of dental treatment as comfortable and relaxing as possible. All have long safety records after decades of use, and several even have “amnesic” properties, meaning you will remember little to nothing, even though you are conscious throughout the treatment. Commonly prescribed medications include Valium®, Halcion®, Sonata®, Ativan®, Vistaril®, and Versed®. To learn more, view our chart on Types of Oral Sedatives

Inhalation Conscious Sedation — Nitrous oxide, a sedative you inhale, has been used in dental offices for nearly 100 years. It is a relatively poor pain reliever but a very good anti-anxiety medication. It is administered through a nasal hood, which resembles a small cup that is placed over your nose. The oxygen mixed with nitrous oxide provides a light-headed or even euphoric feeling, which is quick to wear off so there is no “hangover” effect. All bodily functions remain essentially normal during the use of this sedative, which is very safe.

IV Conscious Sedation South Berwick, ME 03908 — Sedatives delivered directly into the bloodstream intravenously (into the vein) are more potent than when taken orally, and the amnesic effects may be more profound. Because IV sedation has an almost immediate effect on the body and its functions — including heart rate, blood pressure and breathing — there is a higher degree of risk associated with it than with other types of sedatives. There is also a higher level of training required for those who administer it. As with all sedation (except nitrous oxide), you must be monitored with specialized equipment throughout your IV sedation treatment. The main advantage is that drugs administered this way work immediately and the level of sedation can be adjusted more quickly and easily. And with most sedatives, you won’t remember a thing about your dental procedure after the sedative wears off.

How much does it cost to be sedated at the dentist in South Berwick, ME 03908?

Depending on the type of sedation provided, the average fee for the sedation portion of the appointment can range anywhere from $50 for nitrous oxide, to $245 for oral sedation, and $562 for intravenous sedation, which makes the anesthesia portion of the procedure a profit center in and of itself (see Table 1 on page …Sep 1, 2009

Patients having a procedure under sedation in South Berwick, ME 03908 must follow the current fasting guidelines for general anaesthesia. You must not eat or drink for 6 hours before your procedure but you may have water up to 2 hours before. If you do eat or drink after these times your surgery will be cancelled.

Your dentist can control the amount of sedation you receive, and the gas tends to wear off quickly. This is the only form of sedation where you may be able to driveyourself home after the procedure. Oral sedation South Berwick, ME 03908. Depending on the total dose given, oral sedation can range from minimal to moderate.Jan 15, 2018

Oral sedation is one of the available methods of conscious sedation dentistry, along with inhalation sedation (nitrous oxide provider South Berwick, ME 03908) and conscious intravenous sedation. Drugs which can be used for sedation include diazepam, triazolam, zaleplon, lorazepam, and hydroxyzine.

According to the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, oral sedation is taken by mouth or through the nose as soon as the patient arrives at the appointment, as the medicine usually takes up to 20 minutes to work. Oral sedation doesn’t put patients to sleep, but it helps them stay calm and relaxed.

Avoiding Sedatives‘ Dangerous Side Effects. Sedation is commonly used in the intensive care unit (ICU) to make patients that require mechanical ventilation more comfortable, and less anxious. What many don’t realize is that sedation can have serious side effects, including delirium, that can endanger a patient’s life.Aug 29, 2014

Sometimes called “sleep dentistry”, IV dental sedation provides moderate to deep sedation, and can cost $250-$900 or more but is typically $500-$700, depending on the dentist, length of the appointment and location. Dentists must meet specific board requirements to do IV sedation.

Sedation dentistry is intended to make dental treatment far less stressful for the patient. … If you need general anesthesia though, (which is not technically considered to be sedation) your insurance may cover the cost as it is more likely to be a medically necessary part of the procedure.

There are a few specialists called dental anesthesiologists who will be willing to work in your dentist’s office to put you to sleep. Because the dentist is under time constraints when using general anesthesia the quality of the dentistry is compromised.

Nitrous Oxide has stood the test of a time as an effective form of light sedation for anxious patients. … Nitrous is not supposed to put you to sleep, although some mayfall asleep. The point is to relax you, and for you to still feel conscious so you cangive us feedback on your level of anxiety.

If you‘ve ever been put to sleep for an operation at a hospital, then you know the benefits first-hand. You sleep through the procedure, and wake up with no memory of it. Patients who choose to have a root canal with anesthesia delivered via I.V. will not feel anything during the procedure.

The infection continues to smolder like glowing coals in a fire. …But it could get worse. Left untreated, bacteria from the infected tooth pulp can travel through the roots of the tooth and into the tissue of the gums and jaw. That can cause a painful, pus-filled abscess to form, which will require urgent treatment.Mar 3, 2014

When people are told that they need a root canal treatment, they usually think aboutpain. However, the pain they feel is caused by an infection in the tooth, not by root canal treatment. … The root canal procedure itself is painless. A local anesthetic numbs the tooth and the surrounding area.